Review: Tainted Blood by ML Brennan (Generation V #3) plus giveaway

From Goodreads – In the third Generation V novel, Fortitude Scott proves that working with family can be deadly…

Former film student Fortitude Scott is finally gainfully employed. Unfortunately, said employment happens to be with a group of sociopathic vampires—his family. And as much as Fort is loath to get too deep into the family business, when his brother, Chivalry, is temporarily unable to run the territory, it’s up to Fort to keep things under control.

So when the leader of a powerful faction of shifters turns up murdered, Fort finds himself tracking down a killer while navigating dangerous rivalries, longtime grudges, and hidden agendas. Even with the help of his foxy kitsune sidekick, Suzume, he’ll need to pull out all the stops to hunt for the paranormal assassin.

But as he calls on fairies, witches, and ghouls for help, he discovers that the problem is much bigger than a single dead werebear. The supernatural community is preparing for a massive shift in power within the Scott family leadership—and Fort has landed right in the middle of the gathering storm…

———-

Tainted Blood is the third book in what quickly became one of my most favorite Urban Fantasy series. The Generation V / American Vampire series by ML Brennan features a compelling hero, an incredible and hilarious almost-heroine and the most unique vampire-based world I have come across in a long while. It is an example of superior UF writing and this latest installment is just as amazing as the first two.

Thanks to his brother being preoccupied with other matters, Fort is expected to step up and take care of supernatural issues that come up in his mother’s territory. In ML’s world, Vampires rule and they decide what supernatural creatures can and cannot do. When a gruesome murder is discovered among the werebears, Fort is sent to investigate on behalf of the Scott household. The thing is, Fort is not as aggressive as his brother and is nowhere near as fear-striking as his sister. Yet he has a job to do. It’s very interesting to watch him try to figure out who he really is, how he fits into his family and how he is to handle the situations thrown at him.

I enjoyed Fort’s growth in this book and am really looking forward to seeing how his decisions from this book play into the next. He is such a layered and wonderful character. A little lost yet full of heart (even though vampires usually aren’t known for that), quite innocent in so many ways yet very intelligent. He is an absolute joy to read.

Speaking of joys to read, Suzume is so awesome! Fort likes-likes her but she still has not made up her mind about him. They are such an amazing team! And her dialogue and some of her actions are so funny! But there is much heart to her too – she’s just not as ready to share it as Fort is.

The story is as complicated and gripping as it always is in this series. There is murder and fighting and plotting to murder and fight…never a dull moment. But there are quite a few sad undertones in this installment too. The world is expanded on a bit as well. We are introduced to some new creatures and we get lessons on the history or some others. ML’s imagination and how she envisions her paranormal beings is so extraordinary. And she translates all that onto the page flawlessly.

Fort has a bit of alone time with his mother and each of his siblings in this book and those moments are definitely noteworthy. Just when you think you know where each member of the family stands when it comes to Fort and to their place in this world, you find out you may be wrong a little bit. You glimpse at sides of Prudence and Chivalry that you didn’t think you would see and Fort’s mother…it’s almost sad to see what she is becoming. I feel the need for tissues coming soon enough in the series…

And one more thing I must ‘say’ about this book… *does happy dance but won’t tell you why*

Overall, Tainted Blood was an exceptional installment for this extraordinary series. If you are a fan of urban fantasy and have yet to read this series, I dare you to try it and not fall in love with Fort, Suze and the world ML has created. And if you already read this series, you will NOT be disappointed in this latest book. It really is urban fantasy written the way it should be: smart, captivating and thoroughly entertaining.

5 stars

Giggle worthy quotes –

“‘Fuck is it cold in here!’ she noted as she pitched her duffel bag into the backseat with a heavy metallic clunk that indicated that she was prepared for whatever we might encounter. ‘Fort, I’m not telling you that you should buy a new car – ‘
‘I’m sure you aren’t, but somehow I think that is going to be the takeaway on this comment,’ I noted.
She continued blithely over me. ‘No, I’d never question your automotive decisions. I’m just going to note how glad I am at this particular juncture that my reproductive organs naturally reside inside my body and don’t have to try to make the inward crawl that yours probably are attempting at this moment.'”
—–
“‘Suzume, have you gotten a good enough look at the scene?’
‘Mostly, Oba-chan. But if the murder weapon is here, I haven’t found it.’
‘Easy to address,’ Chiyo turned to her younger daughter. ‘Taka-chan?’
The blue-haired girl nodded, and began unbuttoning her blouse with a very businesslike air. Lacking an ingrained social response for how to react when the younger cousin of a woman I was doing my best to date started disrobing in the middle of a crowded room that happened to include a dead body, my higher thinking ceded completely to my lizard brain response. Almost simultaneously I flushed beet red, dropped my eyes to my shoes, and made a strangled noise in my throat that sounded like a turkey lure. I could feel the puzzled glares of every shape-shifter in the room lock on me.
Had I not been fully dressed, I wouldn’t suspected that this was a nightmare.”

Giveaway time! ML is super duper awesome. Why? Let me give you reasons why ML super awesome: she writes amazing books, she is really sweet, she is offering a copy of Tainted Blood to a lucky winner AND she offers it to US residents and…wait for it…CANADIAN RESIDENTS TOO! But only on this blog. So here at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks, this giveaway is open to Canada and US. To enter simply leave a comment letting me know if you have read this series yet or not (and if not, better write that you will be getting the first book NOW ;)) and leave your comment by Monday, November 10th 2014 11:59pm EST. Gook luck everyone and THANK YOU ML for the wonderful giveaway!

You keep raving about this series and I want to start it, but I always tend to go for shifters rather than vamps. This does sound like a different take on the vamps though, so I’d love to give it a try. I’ll definitely start at the beginning if I win the third book.

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I'm Julie and this blog is all about Romance and Urban Fantasy Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Guest Posts, Slices of Life and Silly Stuff Too!

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Rating System

I loved, loved, loved this book! I will definitely read it again and recommend it to anyone who will listen!
5 stars with extra lovin'! Not only am I going to re-read this book and recommended it often, but I will most likely cuddle with it a little too!
I loved this book. I will most likely pick it up again someday.
I truly enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but I don't see myself reading it again.
I was disappointed with this book. It was only okay and I skimmed through a few parts.
I really want to find the person who suggested this book and ask them why they thought reading it would be a valuable way to spend my ME time!